India’s top distance runners, led by Gulveer Singh, Abhishek Pal, and defending champion Lily Das, expect a fast and competitive race at the landmark 20th edition of the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon
New Delhi, October 10, 2025: India’s leading distance runners are set to line up against a strong international field at the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon with the likes of Gulveer Singh, Abhishek Pal, Kiran Matre, and Lily Das, headlining the Indian elite contingent.
Gulveer Singh’s debut at the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon 2025 comes on the back of an exceptional year that included double gold in the 5000m and 10,000m at the 2025 Asian Athletics Championships. Recently he also came close to a historic men’s 5000m final berth by just 0.19 seconds, at the World Athletics Championships 2025 in Tokyo.
Reflecting on the season, the Asian Champion in the 5000m and 10,000m domains, said, “It has been a demanding year of continuous training. I have been competing a lot with elite athletes, and it is about how well your body responds on the day. I will try to push myself as much as I can, but I don’t think about records; my aim is simply to perform well. They have been many legends who have competed here, so I am looking forward to it”
In the Indian Elite Women’s field, Lily Das, the defending champion (1:18:12) expects the competitive line-up to result in strong performances. “I am feeling good and will aim for a win,” she said. “It is a challenging line-up, and I am confident the timings will reflect the quality of the competition.”
Abhishek Pal, who placed first in the 2023 edition, expressed confidence in the group’s ability to produce strong results while acknowledging the demands of a long competitive season. “With Gulveer in the race, we hope to come very close to the 60-minute mark and push each other to get there,” he said. “We have had a long season, so it will be tough, but the weather conditions should help with speed.”
“Road races are a great way to test our endurance, and it always helps us assess our fitness going into a season,” he added
Kiran Matre said his focus would be on maintaining pace with the leading group, adding that the presence of so many international elite runners with sub-60 records would serve as strong motivation. “My focus will be on staying close to the leading group,” he said. “The presence of the some of the world’s fastest will be a strong motivator, I will aim to match him as best as possible and even try to beat them.”
Also making her debut at the event, Ankita Dhyani spoke about the importance of mental and emotional preparation at this level. The 2000m national record holder in steeplechase said, “Training is as mental and emotional as physical,” she said. “That is one of the key lessons I have learned from competing in major events. Indian running is progressing well, and I believe we are closing the gap with international athletes. Nowadays we have lot of training and competition abroad and events like this give us a lot of exposure in India as well.”